The spacecraft that have orbited around Mars and landed on its surface have shown us (via images and data) that there is no liquid water on the surface of Mars. However, these satellite images have also revealed to us features that appear to have been created or carved out by flowing water. In fact, scientists feel...

Scientists must design and evaluate many ways of extracting water from the lunar permafrost before planning lunar colonies and manned missions using the moon as a base.

In this activity students will construct a solar water collector. Using the collector, students will collect and calculate the amount of...

This Catalyst article investigates how polymer materials can be designed and printed with electrical properties that allow them to be used in wearable electronic devices. The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science...

Work done in this Nuffield 13 - 16 module followed from the S unit called ‘Cars on the move’. This X unit provided enough material for eight double periods. It could be selected to complete either a Science or a Further Science course. The teachers’ guide included seven...

The loose fragments of material on the Moon’s surface are called regolith. This regolith, a product of bombardment by meteorites, is the debris thrown out of the impact craters. By contrast, regolith on Earth (called ‘soil’ as it contains organic material) is a product of weathering. ‘Weathering’ describes all the...

These classroom resources from the Royal Society, based on the latest evidence available to scientists, can be used to engage students in the climate debate and to explore and understand topics relating to climate change. Further resources and extension tasks linked to these activities from the Royal Society are...

This three-minute video provided by Liverpool University highlights aspects of...

These diagnostic questions and response activities (contained in the zip file) support students in being able to:

• Identify the types of things rock may be comprised of.
• Describe the differences between grains, fossil fragments and crystals found in rocks.    
• Explain how the types of...

This podcast from the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) Planet Earth Online collection looks at how scientists are using fish scales to figure out why the UK salmon population is falling; and how carbon dioxide emissions from power stations could be used to make household bricks.

Salmon numbers...

In this activity children take on the role of Earth observation scientists submitting a request for an image they would like for their research. This gives them the opportunity to consider the possibilities of pictures taken from orbit (and the limitations) and to write scientifically for a specific audience. It...

This is a data handling activity looking at how warming in various countries around the world varies. Initially it asks students to differentiate between the terms climate and weather. It then goes on to asks students to present and comment on data about temperatures over time in various countries. Finally it asks...

Man-made satellites are put in specific orbits around our Earth and other planets to do certain jobs e.g. to send digital communications or to monitor the weather. These orbits can be distinguished by height above the planet and the orbital period. The orbits of natural satellites are much more varied and these...